Dangers to Face and a Hand to Hold
by blabyda
Summary: She missed home, where the skyline lacked Zeppelins and where the name Rose Tyler wasn't said with such malice and distrust. She missed the adventure and thrills that made the universe dance at her fingertips. She missed him. She said forever, and she would keep true to her word, even if it meant a little bit of waiting. Human Nature/Family of Blood AU
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Hello! I've been an avid reader of fanfiction for quite a while now, but this is the first fic i've ever written. It's a Human Nature/Family of Blood AU featuring Rose; something I know has been done many a time before, but this idea was stuck in my head and I desperately wanted to try writing it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, and I hope you enjoy the first chapter!

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"Miss Tyler? It's ready."

Rose looked up from the desk, flashing a polite smile at the rather intimidated looking young physicist leaning through the doorway; insisting that she'd be there momentarily. She swept her eyes across the tabletop, realising that she had pitifully few possessions. A mobile phone, a purse filled only bank notes and a few pieces of blank paper, some clothes and necessities stuffed in to a tattered rucksack, and the key hanging close to her heart. The Irony was undeniable; it was because of him that she had arrived here with nothing but the clothes on her back and the Raxacoricofallapatorian credits in her pockets, and it was because of him that she now had little more than that. But preparation for her journey came in the form of her few possessions, and they now promised hope rather than numbing grief. She wasn't stranded; she was leaving behind, and this time it was her choice.

With a sigh she slipped the harsh heels from her feet. The authority they provided was beneficial, but whenever she wore them she couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. Sure; they did make her bum look rather good, but her flight instinct had yet to fade and the idea of running on designer stilts wasn't a pleasant one. She put on her worn, but reliable pair of trainers. Familiarity washed over her in an instant. As she approached the door, she took a final look around the office that she had came to acquire four years ago, with only the rigorously polished shoes on the floor suggesting she'd ever set foot in the room. Good riddance. People may dream of power and riches, but in her opinion those desires were only replacing the urgent desperation for adventure that lies in everyone; the type of adventure that even the mad would deem impossible; the type of adventure that makes you wake from a dream, positive that you can feel the universe expanding around you, but leaving a gut-wrenching disappointment the moment your mind returns to terra firma; the type of adventure she so sorely missed. Every day was an escapade when you had dangers to face and a hand to hold.

The short walk through the halls of Canary Wharf was not one of sentiment. The walls encasing her would not be missed. She'd long been ready to part with them. She'd been ready for four years. Her knowledge was marvelled at here at Torchwood, and she had to admit it was a nice change to be viewed as such a professional, but it was a cold place. People admired her, complimented her; were awed at the species and planets she could discuss, but many of the staff treated her like a bad omen. For intellectuals they were bizarrely superstitious. One of the few friends she had made here, Kelly, had told her exerts of the office gossip surrounding the mysterious Rose Tyler.

She had appeared from nowhere; she must be an alien herself; maybe she was Pete Tyler's bit on side – married to get her claws in to his wealth (she shuddered at this, how people could possibly believe she would think of her Da- Pete, in _that way_ she did not know).

She was most definitely abducted and probed at some point; experimented on and pushed to the brink of madness- there was no way any _sane _person would have all those mutterings of time travel and police boxes.

The extra-terrestrial didn't draw her in quite the same way as it used to. It wasn't just Zeppelins that were different in this Universe.

"Not even coming to say goodbye then?" A voice rang out from behind her. She turned around to see Mickey smiling, his grin contrasting the obvious glassiness of his eyes.

"I already have, haven't I? Twice this morning and another time just an hour ago," Rose responded, her short laugh ringing with sadness. "Well come here then!" She wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, unable to bear the distance any longer, as if trying to communicate just how much she'd miss him; and his arms desperately clinging to her echoing a similar message. Mickey had been a constant in her life for the past four years; he was the one that picked her up and dusted her off after the battle, and it was his continuous nagging that made her finally begin to live her life again; and she couldn't be more grateful. And he'd grown under the influence of Torchwood. He became confident and more sure of himself; he had a completely fresh start. He wasn't Mickey the Idiot here; he was Mr Smith- a man who despite having knowledge and skills beyond this planet, was down to earth and friendly. Rose could only regret any doubts she'd had about him in the past; he was truly an amazing person and friend and he'd never wanted anything for her other than happiness, all it took was a little push for him to realise in himself everything that she saw.

"You be sure to pop round for a visit, right?" he murmured in to the top of her hair, his voice cracking. She chuckled, suppressing the rising sob as the first of the tears began to spill out the corner of her eyes, a part of her wishing that she could only do such a thing. She'd had her farewells with her mum and Pete the night before, leaving for work before they awoke the next day. There'd been enough crying and pleading the previous evening and she couldn't face her Mums desperate persuasion again.

"I'm not sure you'd have time for me, you've got this whole place to be runnin' now" Rose retorted, her voice airy as she forced the words out over the painful lump developing in her throat. "There's only going to be one alien extraordinaire left now."

They stayed enveloped for another few moments as each of them prepared for the imminent journey Rose was about to undertake. "Come on, I'll see you off" Mickey said as he wrapped his arm around Rose's shoulders, appreciating the final few moments with the girl that meant so much to him. They arrived at the lab and Rose took a final look out the window, appreciating the cityscape that had remained breathtaking, despite the litter of zeppelins polluting the skyline. The floating atrocities reminded her of her encounter with the blitz barrage balloon; she smiled- it seemed rather comical in hindsight, dangling from a balloon in wartime only to be rescued by a time travelling military man.

She turned her attention to the room in front of her. It was filled only with a few necessary personnel who had worked on the project; it was safer if fewer knew. She'd been avoiding looking at the towering presence ahead of her, she couldn't help it. Its very existence made her bones feel like brittle ice and made the hairs on her harms stand, and although she knew it was there, every time her eyes ventured near she had the sudden urge to flee and forget herself and everything she'd ever been. It had haunted so many of her nightmares. The fear of any enemy she had faced paled in its comparison. She forced herself to look. There it stood. The wall where she'd been ripped apart from the life she knew, where she'd been separated from things that made her smile and laugh; the things; the_ person, _who made her who she is.

The man in the lab coat standing beside her broke her from her reverie, "Are you sure you want to go through with this, Miss Tyler? I mean we haven't even been able to test the device, if you would just let us have the key then we could just check-"

"No. The key stays with me. I'll take the risk." She could hear the sigh coming from Mickey at her side, he was worried about her safety, but this was something she had to do. "Just tell me how it works."

"Well, there's surprisingly not that much to it, really. The breach has been sealed but the breach itself is still there; like scar tissue so to say. You say the key is part of this... ship of yours in the other universe, so theoretically, and if our calculations are accurate, once put in to the device, the signal produced will pass through the breach and lock on to the ship, and draw you in to the other universe"

"Sort of like a cannon yeah? A dimension cannon?" Rose questioned hopefully, trying to get to grips with the portal she'd soon be risking her life to trial.

The older man tripped over his words. Rose couldn't comprehend why people were so intimidated by her; she didn't even have her bloody A-levels (well, she guessed her "EEB Grades" would be the correct term here) yet she was treated and feared like some type of all-knowing being. "Well not really- it doesn't so much propel as it does attract... Like... m-magnets! That's it: Dimension magnets!

"Right then. Simple" Rose affirmed with nervous laughter. A Dimension cannon it was then. She took another glance towards the offending object. What was she doing?

"I must warn you though Miss Tyler; this is a one way trip. The breach is healing and once through there will be no connection with us that could possibly bring you back. The device will be obsolete." The man, Dr Stemming, expressing his obvious concern as he adjusted the glasses sitting on his nose, "and there's no guarantee when or where you will come out. The device will only get you through to that universe and no further; we've tried our best to pinpoint the coordinates to your own time, but I'm afraid you could easily end up appearing millennia away from your preferred year and possibly on any planet in the solar system, perhaps even the galaxy. Please, before you go, just take note of just how dangerous this is; be sure whatever reason you have to go through with this is worth it."

"Completely worth it," she proclaimed, the smile reserved only for thoughts of her _reason_ breaking through the fear and worry that had been etched on her face for the past few minutes. In the workplace she had kept him her secret, only sharing conversation of him with those who she could truly trust. "I suppose I best be on my way then, yeah?" Her fear of what was to come growing every second. She must be mad.

She took the cubic device in her hands, and slipped the metal chain from around her neck for the first time in years. Taking a shaky breath, she allowed a few tears to slip before placing the key in the designated slot, and readied her thumb over the awaiting switch.

"Rose"

She quickly turned to see Mickey, the sadness and tears visible on his face reflecting her own. "Yeah?"

"Best mates, right?"

"Yeah, best mates. Always." She responded, smiling, just glad that this time she got the chance to say goodbye properly to the boy she'd grown up with, before turning back to face the wall. She was completely, utterly, fantastically mad. Well, Rose reasoned... she _had_ learnt from the best.

"Here I go then." She flicked the switch.


	2. Chapter 2

Alas, chapter 2! Once again, any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

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Rose collapsed to her knees. Cold air filled her lungs in a gasp, followed by the comforting rush of oxygen. Admittedly, she had been pretty stupid to even attempt this journey now that there was no TARDIS to protect her from her surrounding environment. She could have ended up in the vacuum of space or in the depths of the oceans of Europa. The fact that she was on dry land, well; slightly damp land, breathing in a habitable atmosphere in a place she could only hope was Earth, was a one in a million chance. Hell, it probably wasn't even _that_ probable of an occurrence. But from the word "Run", that's what her life had been: a series of bizarre events that were so unlikely they could be described as impossible.

She opened her eyes and looked around to scan the landscape. The dimension cannon lay a few metres from her, pouring out smoke and releasing the odd spark; Dr Stemming had truly meant it when he said it was a one way trip, even if it was possible to go back through the breach, the device was useless now. She crawled over to grab it though; she couldn't risk leaving that type of technology lying about, regardless of whether it was broken or not. Pushing herself up to stand required a bit of effort, the exertion of ripping through the fabric of time, space and reality itself made her slightly shaky as she tried to avoid the damp seeping through her jeans any more than it already had.

Rose began to sweep her eyes across the landscape once more, analysing her surroundings in more depth. She looked for signs and indicators in the environment, trying to figure out where and when she could possibly be. She had to concentrate; where did his eyes go first every time they stepped in to unknown territory? How did he identify their destination with such precision?

She had just been kneeling on grass for starters. That must be a good sign. Grass needed water- she needed water, so survival was possible.

It wasn't an abnormal temperature; in fact the cold was seeping through the leather of her jacket. She could somewhere far north perhaps? Well that didn't really help; he'd said so himself, other planets have norths.

Why hadn't Torchwood prepared her for this? The anger at the organisation was short lived; Rose had forgotten the position she had held there, nobody in the institute was more versed in exploration than her- well not in that day and age anyway- they didn't know _how _to prepare her. Even if they had a clue about what she would face, she doubted they'd have approached her anyway. People stayed clear of Rose Tyler, they didn't want to catch her "madness"- as if the "crazy" stories of wandering the stars she had were airborne and contagious. For supposed geniuses- or is it genii? – well for how smart they claimed to be they weren't half thick in her eyes.

Returning to her investigation, she began to search the horizon, panic increasing as the possibility of being stranded came to mind. A glint of silver in the distance caught her eye. It shined despite the thick grey coating the sky; it must be new, she figured. Squinting, she tried to make out the object- well, objects, there were a number of them littered across the hillside. "Silver and on hills. Silver and on hills." Rose muttered to herself, trying to jolt her memory; she _knew_ what they were, she was sure of it.

"Pylons!" She proclaimed in a moment of triumph, only to feel a bit stupid afterwards. Alone in a field, shouting like a mad woman; there was a day she'd have found that hilarious, would have had a right laugh about it. Pylons though; they had to be a good sign. Were they unique to Earth? She'd never seen the objects she knew as Pylons on any other planet, then again she hadn't really looked for them.

Presuming it was Earth though- and oh she hoped it was- she couldn't have gone too far back then. She seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, so electricity couldn't have been too new if a national grid was in place. She couldn't be too far forward either. From what she'd seen of the future, humans had became pretty efficient; there was no way electricity would still be moved by pylon; they recycled everything, they would have found a less obvious way of creating power.

She knew that if she stood a chance though she had to find civilisation of some sort. There weren't any roads in sight, but the Pylons must go somewhere? Just a matter of choosing which direction to follow them. Leaving no time to over think her decision, Rose started walking forward, beginning what she presumed would be a long trek.

She walked no less than 2 minutes before her mind began to wander.

She'd never had to walk anywhere for very long when they had visited places. Honestly, the prospect of having to travel by foot had never come to mind before. Trouble had always found them, and with trouble tended to come civilisation. There weren't many times when they landed in an unusual place, and on the only time she can recall that they did; they'd hitched a lift from bloody Queen Victoria.

Considering how badly he piloted the TARDIS he always seemed to get lucky in the landing.

Or was it luck? If he'd made that ship so unstable just to get a rise out of her-

No Rose. Back to task. She couldn't get distracted. Staying alive had to be her main focus, there would time to think of _him_ later. And she'd thought of him enough during the past years; there was hardly a minute she didn't give him thought. He was on her mind morning, noon and night. And late at night. Late at night quite a lot actually-

She scolded herself; she swore that the longer she had spent with him, the more like him she became. He'd always been so easily distracted. Time had passed unnoticed, she was unsure how long she'd been walking for, she'd just kept on moving, soothed by the rhythmic sound of her footsteps squelching against the grass. One after the other, over and over and-

Something interrupted her steps, she was sure she had heard something. She swore it sounded like an _engine._

_Fantastic._

In the distance Rose could see the outline of a car; a very boxy car at that but a form of transport none the less. It wasn't too far; reachable.

Her only thought as she broke out in to a sprint was that she was glad she'd worn her trainers.

As she got nearer she began to shout, urging the car to stop. Luckily the driver must have heard her over the exceedingly noisy machine, and the car screeched to a stop, the tires leaving a small trail of dust in their wake. She crashed in to the side of the vehicle, her palms pressed firmly against the glass of the window as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

She hadn't really been doing that much running lately; there hadn't been that many life or death situations to create a regular training regime.

"Are you okay there Miss?" a startled voice called, as a man stepped out of the driver's side. She looked up, her breaths still coming in pants. Wait, was he; she could swear he was- he looked _exactly_ like Dr Stemming. He had the same nervous twitch in his nose and everything. She really shouldn't have been so surprised, her counterpart in the other universe had been a Yorkshire terrier; having a look-a-like driving chitty chitty bang bang shouldn't seem so impossible. She must be on Earth though. Hope for the future grew at this confirmation. Her determination to find him would have been there whether she'd landed on Earth or Mars, but being on her home planet made things far simpler.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. You couldn't tell me where I am, could you?" The man looked suspiciously at the large grin on her face, understandable; very few lost people were giddy with joy.

"You're in Norfolk Miss... about 10 minutes outside Farringham. Are you sure you're okay? You don't really see many young ladies wandering about out here, and well, do forgive me, but in such inappropriate clothing"

Alarmed by this Rose looked down to inspect herself. Oh please don't let her top have disappeared when she was using the cannon. She'd have noticed that right? Then again she was pretty cold... As amusing at the thought of her top being sent to a different universe was, she'd rather not have arrived home half naked. Relief torrented through her as she saw that she was still in fact fully dressed.

Oh. Inappropriate. She must have been a bit before her own time. Late enough for cars, but early enough for tight jeans to cause offence. All this deducing today- she felt like a budding Sherlock Holmes. Who knows; maybe a Deerstalker would be fitting in this period. Whenever it was.

"I'm definitely fine, just a bit lost. Don't suppose you could give me a lift, could you? To Fa-... Farring-..."

"Farringham." He corrected her.

"Farringham. If it's not too much of a bother. I don't really know my way about here." Rose asked hopefully; if there was one thing _he'd_ taught her, it was that people could be very hospitable if you had enough charisma to just ask.

"No, no hassle at all." He smiled kindly and rushed round to open the door, gesturing for to climb inside. Climbing in himself, he asked in an attempt at conversation, "I didn't quite catch your name Miss"

"Rose. Ah, Rose Tyler"

"Lovely to meet you Miss Tyler, I'm Robert Holloway; you can just call me Robert though." Rose was thankful for this; having a name to go with the face would hopefully stop her slipping up and calling him Dr Stemming; she didn't want to make this ride any more awkward than it was.

"Nice to meet you too Robert. This might sound a bit strange, but could you please tell me what date this is? And the year?" At this question he glanced confusedly at her, quickly pulling his eyes back to the road.

"Strange one you are Miss Tyler. It's the fourth of August, the year of our Lord 1938. You must have been very much lost Miss Tyler to even lose track of the year!" The man glanced over at Rose again; he was prying for information, she could tell.

Not too bad for a human, she thought smugly. She didn't have any fancy time lord technology and she'd only been just over 70 years out, not the worst possible outcome considering she could have just as easily popped out during the tudor period. They'd been in that situation before, and it was difficult enough to try and reject Henry VIII's proposal whilst literally keeping her head the first time, she didn't fancy a repeat of that.

She laughed politely, "I guess so. I'm not from around here- I'm a bit of a traveller. You don't really pay attention to those sort of things". She was grateful as the car turned on to a properly paved road, and houses started to pass by, there were only so many uncomfortable silences she could take between small snippets of conversation, and she was looking forward to getting out of the car.

The car pulled to a stop, "Well, here we are. Good old Farringham." Robert began.

Rose stepped out and stretched her legs. She glanced about the town square they'd stopped in. She didn't hear if Robert had anything else to say.

Blue flooded her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her vision narrowed and her ears rang with the blood pumping in her veins. It was like a supernova of hope, grief, excitement and pure, untarnished joy, originating in her now fluttering stomach and seeping out in to her limbs, setting the muscles on fire with adrenaline. She didn't notice that her legs had started to stumble forward.

She gained speed. She'd know that blue anywhere. It stood proudly in the square. The police box looked fairly inconspicuous next to its neighbouring bench, but its bright colour seemed somehow out of place; and she knew why. It must be.

It was _him_. It was the Doctor.


End file.
